RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach on Sunday defended the committee's decision not to ban Russia's entire Olympic team and said the country's doping scandal will not damage the credibility of the Rio de Janeiro Games.
Speaking at a news conference five days before the opening of the games, Bach said a total ban on Russia "would not be justifiable" on either moral or legal grounds.
"Every human being is entitled to certain rights of natural justice," he said.
Bach was peppered with questions about the International Olympic Committee's handling of the allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia, including the decision to give international sports federations the power to decide which Russian athletes should be cleared to compete.